Pictured (l-r): BMI's John Cody and Fred Cannon, Chuck Blackburn, Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

Honored guests included Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), a staunch supporter for music education; Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), a protector of intellectual property; and Grammy-winning artist/producer Quincy Jones. In addition, the Academy bestowed the Chesnee High School of Chesnee, South Carolina with the Grammy Foundation Signature School Award for its outstanding commitment to music education.

Pictured (l-r): Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), BMI's John Cody, Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), BMI's Fred Cannon.

BMI songwriter/artists Chuck Brown, BeBe Winans and CeCe Winans were among the performers taking part in a musical salute to the honorees.

Pictured (l-r): Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), BMI's Fred Cannon and John Cody , the Smithsonian's John Hesse, BMI's Robbin Ahrold and Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC).

“BMI is proud to partner with the Recording Academy each year in honoring lawmakers for their efforts in supporting the music community,” noted Fred Cannon, BMI Senior Vice President, Government Relations. “Their support is vital in helping our industry enrich both the cultural and economic climates in the United States and abroad.”

Pictured (l-r): The Songwriters Guild's Rick Carnes, BMI's John Cody, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Victoria Reggie Kennedy and BMI's Fred Cannon.

Click here to watch a clip of National Anthem performance (:35)

Set on the front lawn of the Capitol Building, the kick-off performance featured the Marine Corps Band and a 200-voice choir backing the project's official musical ambassadors, BMI songwriter/artists the Oak Ridge Boys. Speakers included MENC Executive Director John Mahlmann, who addressed a vast audience of Congressional members, music educators and music lovers.

Pictured on Capitol Hill are Oak Ridge Boys band members Richard Sterban, Joe Bonsall and Duane "Ace" Allen, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), BMI's Robbin Ahrold, Oak Ridge Boys member William Lee Golden, and band manager Jim Halsey

In addition to the opening ceremony on Capitol Hill, more than six million children, teachers and music supporters participated in the "World's Largest Concert," which aired across the US and abroad on PBS stations and the Armed Forces Network.

The campaign launch comes on the heels of a recent Harris Poll that shows two out of three Americans don't know the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" and that many are unaware of the historical events that inspired the penning of the song. This startling statistic prompted MENC, the world's largest arts education association, to spearhead the project and shine the spotlight on the importance of school music programs, where most Americans learn patriotic songs.

MENC's John Mahlmann addresses the audience

The multi-faceted project will include education initiatives in schools across the country, special performances and alliances with professional sporting events, and an extensive mobile marketing tour stopping in cities nationwide. The National Anthem Project: Restoring America's Voice is set to culminate in 2007 with a record-setting performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Washington, DC.

The song of our nation was written by Washington attorney Francis Scott Key at a dramatic moment during the War of 1812. On the night of September 13, 1814, Key watched as our country was attacked by the British navy at Fort McHenry. After watching the rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in air throughout the night, dawn broke. Key was expecting to find Baltimore firmly under British control, but was stunned to see a battered but still flying American flag waving in the sunrise. So inspired was Key that he wrote the poem that was to become our National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." Set to a tune composed by John Stafford Smith, the song became America's national anthem in 1931.]]> 2005-03-14T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233875 Artists, Blackburn, Marsha, Regan, Bob, Musical Styles, Singer-Songwriter, Type, International, Legislation Marsha Blackburn [R-TN] visited BMI Nashville to present details of the newly-formed Congressional Songwriters Caucus and the latest on federal legislation affecting the music business. The Caucus, which Blackburn formed with Representative Lloyd Doggett [D-TX], will allow songwriters to voice their concerns to other House members. Last month in Washington, D. C., Rep. Blackburn joined 40 songwriters and other music industry workers in urging lawmakers to support efforts by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to curb illegal Internet downloading.

Pictured are BMI's Fred Cannon and Harry Warner, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) President Bob Regan, Marsha Blackburn, Songwriters Guild of America President Rick Carnes, and NSAI's Bart Herbison.photo by Brian Tipton

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